What is the “yellow card” scheme?

Article:

THIS ARTICLE WILL TELL YOU ABOUT

· The job of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority

· How to use the “yellow card” scheme

YOU WOULD BE LIKELY TO REFERENCE THIS ARTICLE IF YOU WERE RESEARCHING:

Anything to do with adverse drug reactions, or with patient safety in more general terms. If you were looking to find out more about the role of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority, then this article explains what it does and how it interacts with healthcare professionals.

IN WHAT SITUATIONS WILL THIS ARTICLE BE USEFUL FOR ME?

This article explains why reporting adverse drug reactions is so important and explains how you can do this.

QUESTIONS FOR YOUR MENTOR/TUTOR

· How do you know if a patient is experiencing an adverse drug reaction?

STUDENT NT DECODER

Pharmacovigilance

Also known as “drug safety”. Refers to the analysing of adverse effects of drugs.

Adverse drug reactions: the yellow card reporting scheme

This unit will teach you:

Why it is important to report suspected ADRs associated with the use of medicines;

How the Yellow Card reporting Scheme works and what happens to Yellow Cards;

Who can complete a Yellow Card and which situations should trigger completion of a Yellow Card;

The information needed for filling out a Yellow Card;

Where to find up-to-date information on ADRs;

How to answer patients’ questions about ADRs and show patients how to fill in a Yellow Card themselves if they wish to.